The GIGABYTE X470 Gaming 7 Wi-Fi Motherboard Review: The AM4 Aorus Flagship
by Gavin Bonshor on July 26, 2018 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- AMD
- Gigabyte
- AORUS
- Ryzen
- X470
- Ryzen 2
- Gaming 7 Wi-Fi
- Gaming 7
System Performance
Not all motherboards are created equal. On the face of it, they should all perform the same and differ only in the functionality they provide - however, this is not the case. The obvious pointers are power consumption, but also the ability for the manufacturer to optimize USB speed, audio quality (based on audio codec), POST time and latency. This can come down to manufacturing process and prowess, so these are tested.
Power Consumption
Power consumption was tested on the system while in a single ASUS GTX 980 GPU configuration with a wall meter connected to the Thermaltake 1200W power supply. This power supply has ~75% efficiency > 50W, and 90%+ efficiency at 250W, suitable for both idle and multi-GPU loading. This method of power reading allows us to compare the power management of the UEFI and the board to supply components with power under load, and includes typical PSU losses due to efficiency. These are the real world values that consumers may expect from a typical system (minus the monitor) using this motherboard.
While this method for power measurement may not be ideal, and you feel these numbers are not representative due to the high wattage power supply being used (we use the same PSU to remain consistent over a series of reviews, and the fact that some boards on our test bed get tested with three or four high powered GPUs), the important point to take away is the relationship between the numbers. These boards are all under the same conditions, and thus the differences between them should be easy to spot.
While one of the main benefits of X470 over the previous X370 chipset is a slight reduction in TDP under load, that hasn't been noticeable here as the Gaming 7 Wi-Fi is notable power hungrier than any other AM4 board.
Non-UEFI POST Time
Different motherboards have different POST sequences before an operating system is initialized. A lot of this is dependent on the board itself, and POST boot time is determined by the controllers on board (and the sequence of how those extras are organized). As part of our testing, we look at the POST Boot Time using a stopwatch. This is the time from pressing the ON button on the computer to when Windows starts loading. (We discount Windows loading as it is highly variable given Windows specific features.)
Alongside the ASRock X370 Gaming-ITX/ac small form factor motherboard, the GIGABYTE X470 Gaming 7 Wi-Fi makes a good impression on boot times compared to other AM4 motherboards previously tested. There wasn't much difference between stock settings and with all the malleable controllers disabled, somewhat marginal at best.
Rightmark Audio Analyzer 6.2.5
Rightmark:AA indicates how well the sound system is built and isolated from electrical interference (either internally or externally). For this test we connect the Line Out to the Line In using a short six inch 3.5mm to 3.5mm high-quality jack, turn the OS speaker volume to 100%, and run the Rightmark default test suite at 192 kHz, 24-bit. The OS is tuned to 192 kHz/24-bit input and output, and the Line-In volume is adjusted until we have the best RMAA value in the mini-pretest. We look specifically at the Dynamic Range of the audio codec used on the rear panel of the board.
As the results show in RMAA 6.2.5's Dynamic range testing, the newly launched GIGABYTE X470 Gaming 7 Wi-Fi sits at the bottom of Realtek ALC1220 pile, despite being the later ALC1220-VB codec.
DPC Latency
Deferred Procedure Call latency is a way in which Windows handles interrupt servicing. In order to wait for a processor to acknowledge the request, the system will queue all interrupt requests by priority. Critical interrupts will be handled as soon as possible, whereas lesser priority requests such as audio will be further down the line. If the audio device requires data, it will have to wait until the request is processed before the buffer is filled.
If the device drivers of higher priority components in a system are poorly implemented, this can cause delays in request scheduling and process time. This can lead to an empty audio buffer and characteristic audible pauses, pops and clicks. The DPC latency checker measures how much time is taken processing DPCs from driver invocation. The lower the value will result in better audio transfer at smaller buffer sizes. Results are measured in microseconds.
None of the manufacturers AM4 offerings tested so far including the X470 Gaming 7 Wi-Fi are optimized for DPC latency, but the Gaming 7 Wi-Fi does put in a very respectable showing.
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vicbee - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
I know, right? I think this article was voice to text - or whatever that's called, because there are simple words that are spelled wrong but sound correct, such as "..however the margins are theme." Are what?asmian - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
Let's also call out "would of" instead of "would have", a schoolboy error any competent editor should have picked up. :(AdrianB1 - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
The proper command of the English language is no longer required to write articles on Anandtech. Anand left a long time ago.hansmuff - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
"The lackluster gaming results brings the overall results down, however the margins are theme."My sides. Really, Anandtech, you need to have an editor or at least rigid peer review. This article is written rather poorly.
PhrogChief - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
I specifically do not buy Gigabyte anymore because of the stupid name and silly eagle. What ever happened to the UD5, UD7, Formula OC? I'm sure I'm not the only one being lost to teenage 'gamer' marketing. I mean, is it so hard to come up with some non-lame marketing? Make it look nice with a slick name like Spectre, or whatever. So sick of stupid brands on electronics like the msi dragon and gigabyte, oh wait, AEOOORUSSSS, deformed bird. This isn't cereal. It's gdammed high tech. Make it slick and sophisticated. And make heatsinks that actually work again! Now get off my lawn!!!AdrianB1 - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
Aorus is kind of a "Goldie"/"Goldish" for Latin languages. Gold in Latin is Aurum.I specifically don't buy Gigabyte because they save 1$ using Realtek LAN instead of Intel (an Intel chip is $1.75). The performance difference is small, but worth more than the extra $1 if one also considers drivers and reliability.
Breadwinka - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
But this is using an Intel Lan.AdrianB1 - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
Correct. But only a couple from the dozen of variants are using Intel LAN, the ones with the most flashy and useless configuration for professional use. If you want a reasonable setup (no "gaming" or other childish features) then you only get Realtek LAN. I would gladly pay more than $10 for a decent mobo with Intel LAN.Ratman6161 - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
In the text you say "is capable of 3.90 GHz at 1.375 V" but in the chart you say 3.9 at 1.325. Are you saying that less voltage was required on the x470 than in tests with previous chipsets? I have found that to be true in my particular case. I moved my 1700 from an Asrock B350 board where it was at 4.0 and 1.38. On my Prime x470 pro, the same CPU still will not hit 4.1 without more voltage than I'm willing to risk. So I stuck to 4.0 and reduced the voltage to 1.35 and its completely stable. Next I'm going to try lowering it even more to find the lowest voltage where its stable at 4.0.So even though I'm not hitting higher speeds, I'd say that hitting the same speed at lower voltages is a good thing.
PhrogChief - Thursday, July 26, 2018 - link
Yeah, took Latin for 4 years, actually thought they were bastardising ancient Egyptian with a homage to Horus, what with the bird and all. If it was me, I'd nuke EVERY.GDAM.ANIMAL, in computer hardware branding. I don't need a bank-robber on ASUS boards to make me want it. Gimme the chipset, a 'plus' or 'deluxe' and call it a day.Asus WS boards are my idea of perfect looking hardware.